E.—MASNAD 'ÁLÍ KHAWÁS KHÁN.

There is no connected account of this officer in any of these Afghán
histories. Those who treat of him separately fill their statements
with what to us are the most uninteresting events of his life. Thus,
in the Táríkh-i Khán-Jahán (MS., pp. 187-190), there is a long eulogy
upon his great Muhammadan virtues, and especially his lavish pro­digality
*
in behalf of lazy fakírs. The Wáki'át-i Mushtákí (MS., pp.
112-17) gives these and other particulars; but, notwithstanding its
prolixity, is not complete even in these five long pages, as an
hiatus occurs before we come to the time of his death. The Táríkh-i
Dáúdí (MS., pp. 291-7) also celebrates his indiscriminate liberality
to these sanctimonious vagabonds, and gives as an illustration that he
had no less than 2500 apartments in his palace, in each of which 100
of these obese vermin were pampered at the rate of two sírs of corn
per diem, great and small. Doubtless, the exaggeration of numbers
is enormous; but admitting even one hundredth part to be true, it
again leads to the reflection which similar laudations have excited—
What misery must have been entailed upon the wretched plundered
people to supply the extravagances and establish the piety and
benevolence of these ostentatious patrons of professed devotees.

With respect to his death, this work simply tells us that he was
killed without having committed any fault. In short, all these
authors dwell more upon the excellence and liberality of his cuisine,
than upon his tragic end, and the deliberate perfidy and knavery of
the base king at whose instigation he was murdered. There is no
occasion to notice any of the political events of his life, for they will
be found frequently mentioned in the reigns of Sher Sháh and Islám
Sháh; but it is curious to remark that, on his first introduction to
public life, when he succeeded to the title of Khawás Khán, upon
the occasion of his elder brother's being drowned in the ditch of the
fort of Gaur, he came into slight collision with his future murderer
Islám Sháh, then Prince Jalál Khán. Khawás Khán urged an
immediate attack, to which Jalál Khán gave his reluctant consent;
but generously attributed the victory, when gained, to the courage
and energy of Khawás Khán.*

It has been remarked at p. 485, how confused is the record of his
career at the beginning of Islám Sháh's reign. It may, therefore,
be necessary to mention that, after flying from Mewát with all his
artillery, in which he was strong, he remained some time in Sirhind,
whither 'Azam Humáyún advanced against him by Islám Sháh's
orders, with 40,000 men; but they had a secret understanding with
each other, and Khawás Khán retired leisurely on his advance, and
entered Rohilkhand, where, after for a long time desolating the royal
parganas at the foot of the Kamáún hills, he joined the Níázís before
the battle of Ambála, and on the day of action deserted them on the
plea of their wishing to exclude any man of the Súr family from the
succession to the empire. His movements here appear to have been
very extraordinary, for instead of joining Islám Sháh, to whom he
had communicated his intentions, and from whom he might have ex­pected
to receive the immediate reward of his perfidy, he again
returned to his haunts under the hills, and finally sought the pro­tection
of the Rájá of Kamáún, who conducted himself with great
magnanimity during the events we shall now have to record. He
entered the Rájá's country by the pass of Dabar, and fixed his re­sidence
at Alhahí. Ahmad Yádgár is the author who gives by far
the fullest and most consistent account of his death in a passage
extending from pp. 336 to 342 of his history, which I here proceed
to abstract.

After the Rájá of Rájaurí had presented a white elephant, and so
ingratiated himself with the King that he was reinstated in his
territories, Islám Sháh returned from those parts, and remained
some time at Ágra.

Here intelligence was brought him by his spies, that Khawás
Khán had established himself upon a lofty mountain in the dominions
of the Rájá of Kamáún, who had assigned him some villages for
his support, as well as a daily allowance of cash. Upon this, Táj
Khán Kirání, who held the Súba of Sambhal,*
was directed to use
every possible means to get the refugee into his power. “If his
hand could not reach there, he was to do it by messages, promising
royal benefactions—such as the imperial districts at the foot of the
hills, which would be made over to him. By holding out hopes such
as these, Táj Khán might be able to send him in chains to Court.”

Several messages were despatched at the same time to the Rájá,
who indignantly replied, “How can I throw into fetters a man who
has sought my protection? As long as I have breath in my body, I
never can be guilty of such baseness.” Islám Sháh himself then
wrote to Khawás Khán, to say that he forgave him, and wished that
what had passed should all be forgotten between them; that the
Ráná of Údipúr had again raised his head, and plundered several
of the royal possessions, and carried off the wives and children of
Musulmáns; that none of the nobles had succeeded in their measures
against him; and that all their hopes were now centred in Khawás
Khán. “All this is asserted with all the sincerity than can attach to
an oath before God; and after that, an engagement and guarantee
was engrossed on saffron-coloured cloth, and despatched. And Táj
Khán was at the same time instructed to use every kind of cajolery
and flattery, in order to lull that bird into security, and entice him
into the net; for the wounds which his conduct had implanted in
the King's breast could not be healed but by the salve of his murder.”

On the receipt of these missives, Khawás Khán's immediate im­pulse
was to obey them, but he was strongly dissuaded by his
adherents and the Rájá, who represented that the King was per­fidious,
that he had destroyed most of his nobles, and how then
could he allow Khawás Khán to escape, who had been ten times
opposed to him in battle? These remonstrances were, however, of
no avail.

When Táj Khán wrote to inform His Majesty that Khawás Khán
had arrived within twenty kos of Sambhal, “The king, who enter­tained
in his heart the most inveterate hatred, forgot his sacred
promises and his oath before God, and wrote, saying, ‘The moment
he arrives slay him, and having stuffed his body with straw,
despatch it to Dehlí.’”

When Khawás Khán arrived at the town of Sirsí, Táj Khán
advanced with his army to meet him, and at night sent his*
myrmidons to assassinate him. “On the morrow, when preparing
to execute the royal commands, they found, on the removal of the
sheet from his body, that it was covered with about ten sírs of
flowers. Táj Khán was alarmed at what he had done. Never­theless,
under the peremptory instructions he had received, he cut off
that head, which was the ornament of prostration in prayer, and bound
it on a spear-head, like that of a common malefactor or murderer, and
sent it on to its destination accompanied by the body stuffed with
straw.”*
“On its arrival, Islám Sháh ordered that it should be im­paled
in the front of the Red Gate; and it is said, that when this was
done, a black wind arose which darkened the whole world, and such
an earthquake was felt that the loftiest buildings fell to the ground.
From that date, moreover, calamities befell the reign of Islám Sháh.”

He seems to have been buried in Dehlí; for the Mahkzan-i Afghání
informs us that when, after exposure for three successive nights, a
load of roses, notwithstanding the doubling of the guard, was found
to have been thrown over the body, Islám Sháh was inspired with
remorse, and ordered that he should be solemnly interred. Firishta
also says that his corpse was interred at Dehlí after his assassina­tion
by Táj Khán; that his tomb is frequented even at the present
day; and that the common people, esteeming him to be a saint, go
there to offer prayers for success in their undertakings.

But I have also had his tomb pointed out to me at Khawáspúr in
the Upper Panjáb, between the Jelam and the Chináb. He is in
that neighbourhood also held in high repute for his piety and
courage; and there are several popular songs sung in his praise,
under the appellation of “Sakhí” or “generous.”